My Darumahttps://mydaruma.wordpress.com
Wed, 08 Mar 2017 06:34:46 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.com/https://s2.wp.com/i/buttonw-com.pngMy Darumahttps://mydaruma.wordpress.com
Home-Sewn French Stylehttps://mydaruma.wordpress.com/2014/05/16/home-sewn-french-style/
https://mydaruma.wordpress.com/2014/05/16/home-sewn-french-style/#respondFri, 16 May 2014 21:13:40 +0000http://mydaruma.wordpress.com/?p=3223]]>I’m very excited to let you know that my first book in english and in print has just been released. Excited and really proud! It’s called “Home-Sewn French Style” and is published by the London-based publisher Cico Books.

It’s all about classic and contemporary French style. With 35 projects for homeware and clothes, i tried to capture the beauty of French design.

Each chapter is focused on a specific style : L’élégance des Châteaux de la Loire, with toile de Jouy and textured fabrics; A la campagne, inspired by effortless rural chic; La belle Provence, in a brighter colour palette; Au bord de la mer, with Breton stripes and vibrant Basque fabrics; and Paris, je t’aime, using solid colours and graphic prints. I included some advice on using French style in the home, and another one dedicated to sewing techniques.

You can buy it at your local bookstore or order it online. And if you’re in the mood, you can try to win a copy! But quick, you only have until the 19th of may!

I really hope that some of you will get your hands on the book and that you’ll enjoy it. And of course, I would love to know what project inspires you and what you’ll be making… Please leave a comment and let me know!

]]>https://mydaruma.wordpress.com/2014/05/16/home-sewn-french-style/feed/0mydaruma9781782490838_2spread_1_45spread_2_47Firefly belt with LEDs + Lilypad Arduino ! / Ceinture Luciole avec Leds et Lilypadhttps://mydaruma.wordpress.com/2014/01/28/firefly-belt-with-leds-lilypad-arduino-ceinture-luciole-avec-leds-et-lilypad/
https://mydaruma.wordpress.com/2014/01/28/firefly-belt-with-leds-lilypad-arduino-ceinture-luciole-avec-leds-et-lilypad/#commentsTue, 28 Jan 2014 19:04:42 +0000http://mydaruma.wordpress.com/?p=3198]]>I am so excited to show you my latest project : this one is very special and 100% geek! There’s a lot of sewing involved of course but I also had to work hard on conductivity and coding. What? You mean like electricity and computer code? Yep! Let me walk you through this.

It’s the fabric belt on the picture that is special : it comes with LEDs and an Arduino microcontroller called Lilypad. You can’t see much on the picture, right? Well that’s the whole point : it looks like any other accessory but it’s got super powers. Really! I made a video so you’d believe me !

The trick is that the LEDs react to the ambient light. If it’s dark or very dark, the LEDs blink in a randomly (time to go clubbing!). As soon as there is a certain level of light in the room, the LEDs change sequence and blink in a linear and orderly manner (breathe in, breathe out). To be exact, the speed of that sequence depends on the amount of lux in the room.

This is how it works : a light sensor is connected to a Lilypad microcontroller, which itself is connected to a battery and LEDs. Everything is coded in C++ (ok, I have to admit I got some help on that part : thanks N. !) All is entirely adjustable – how lux is interpreted, what light sequence you want, brightness of LEDs. Cool, isn’t it?

In the picture above, you can see two rectangles of fabric that I had to layer because the conductive thread can create short circuits at crossings. The piece on the left is the battery holder. Just pop the battery out and you can hand wash the whole thing.

This little chip is the light sensor. It’s the only piece you can actually see when you wear the belt. I placed it at the side of the belt. This way, I can get the belt to change sequence in broad daylight by simply covering up the sensor by lowering my arm along my side. There are many other types of sensors that look more or less the same. I have a temperature sensor and a movement sensor that I have yet to test. Keep tuned for future projects!

Oh! I almost forgot : the shorts are homemade. I made polka dots side pockets and added some sequins on the sides for extra fun.
That’s all for today. I’d love to hear what you think about Lilypad and electronic sewing. A bientôt!

For me, 2014 will be a year of migration (Wait! What? Again?!) But this time the destination will be tropical and exotic. Keep tuned for more on that later… That being said, you’ll easily understand that all my sewing projects now have to do with the warmer season. Of course, because we are in the midst of winter, it feels a little weird. Especially because I’m always so impatient to wear my latest project right away. So lately I’ve been sewing for summer but I’m still wearing my new garments right away : a little styling is required! First project with this new constraint : shorts!

The pattern is from a Burda Magazine (pattern 129 from february 2013 issue). The shorts feel slightly too large : I have the terrible habit of using smaller seam allowances than recommended. But I guess that’s ok : the shorts look more relaxed than the original. I’ve actually started sewing a new version of these shorts, in black, this time respecting the seam allowances exactly. I believe they will look more adjusted, almost chic.

I’d like to give these shorts a third try, maybe using the Pantone color of 2014? That happens to be Radiant Orchid. I have to admit I’m not thrilled by this color. I really liked the emerald green from 2013. But this purplish thing… Hmm, not sure… I don’t wear this color very often. Maybe it suits blondes better? Well, maybe i’ll get used to it after a year f seing it everywhere.Thanks to photoshop, i can fake it! So what to you think of Radiant orchid? And how about some radiant orchid shorts?

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How about a little homemade scrub? I heard about virgin coconut oil some years back and only used it in the kitchen since – with little success and perseverance because my family members are not great fans of the smell of coco. I ‘ve recently explored all the beauty products you can make with it. So here is my favorite recipe : homemade face and body scrub! It’s quick to make, great for your skin and cheap!

What you need :

Virgin coconut oil. You’ll find it in your local organic or whole food shop, usually with the other kitchen oils. It’s white and solid but turns liquid above 25°.

Sweet orange essential oil. You’ll easily find essential oils at your local pharmacy or organic store.
As always with essential oils, get the pharmacist’s advice if your are prone to skin allergies.

Plain white sugar

A pinch of ground cinnamon

A small jar. As this scrub contains no preservative, you want to make very small batches.

Mix one measure of coconut oil for two measures of sugar. Add a few drops of sweet orange essential oil and a pinch of cinnamon and fill your jar. Mix just a little or the grains of sugar might melt. Just fill the mini jar, add a cute ribbon and a homemade label and you’re all set!

Scrub gently and remove excess with lukewarm water and a towel. Your skin will feel fresh and be really soft after this scrub. Do remember to keep your scrub in the fridge. I keep mine a week or so. Of course, you may adapt the recipe. These make great little gifts for the christmas season so you better get started experimenting so you have enough time to nail your own special winter scrub formula! I’d love to hear what you came up with!

***
Have you heard of Bik Nok? If you have not, you should check it out. Here is how it works : you make something and put it up for sale at whichever price you think is right. If the object is sold, you send it to the buyer and the money is spent 100% to help vietnamese children. I’ve made these two pouches for the “Asia” session of Bik Nok with some Petit Pan fabric, strass and appliqués. Don’t you love the Petit Pan print? Sales begin december 1st. Check out all the great stuff on Bik-Nok!

Here is the first article on my experience as a seamstress using Lilypad Arduino. This is episode 01 of season 1. Season 1 will be about “the Lili dress”.

I wanted to start out with a summer dress project. I will be using a light sensor and LEDS, so i can be noticed in parties (and also ride my bike safely after the party). This will not be a surprise to those who know me: I want my first project to be pretty – and useful if possible. You get the idea…
Please note that this series is NOT a tutorial (i do that in my daytime job!) but rather some kind documentation, a learning experience. I believe this might be of help to some of you so hop on. And if you’re not interested, just discard.

There are many ressources in english but not that many in french : this is mostly why i am doing this… So please join me in this “wearable electronics” journey! Here goes the Lili dress!

First things first: the components i will need to do this projets. All my stuff comes form Sparkfun but there are many other options. I got my hands on a starter’s kit. It’s probably the easiest to get started. But of course, the whole idea is to get what you need depending on your project : you can buy every piece separately and that’s what’s fun!

Here are the basics for my project :

the lilypad is the micrprocessor. It’s a mini computer.

the LEDS : it’s the fun part, the stuff that lighs up. They exist in many different colors. I have pink and yellow.

the 3V battery and its holder : the energy is for the LEDS. When you wash the garment, all you have to do is take the battery out.

Conductive thread: it’s what joins everything together.

The light sensor : this is what gets the information. the information is then passed on to the lilypad, which then impacts the LEDS.

the FTDI is what will allow communication between the lilypad and your computer.
You hook up the FTDI and your computer thanks to a USB cable. Just hook up the FTDI with the lilypad to install code on the lilypad.
Once the Lilypad has been programmed, you can take the USB and FTDI component out. The FTDI is the only component that can be reused from one porjec to the next.

To complete my set and get to work, i had to get some mini pliers. It helps to test the electric circuit – the pliers are then replaced by conductive thread.
I decided to go for the Deer & Doe dress pattern Belladone : it looks like my lili dress will have some LEDS on the back. How cool is that? Cycling at night will be so much fun!

Next week, i’ll talk about “input” and “outup” – and i’ll buy and show the fabric for this crazy project! See you next week !

I’ve been sewing for over ten years now and i felt i needed a new challenge. If you know me a little you are aware that I am fascinated by any technology that aims at putting innovation at the service of imagination, by technologies that are meant for the everyday man (and woman!) – given a fair amount of effort and passion. Isn’t it what DIY is about? I hear you : what on earth has this got to do with sewing?Well… everything. For those of you who have never heard about it, let me tell you about Lilypad Arduino…

Lilypad Arduini is a microcontoller (ie. a sort of mini computer) that can be programmed and sewn onto fabric. Why should you care? Imagine you can sew a mini computer into the lining of your favorite dress and and connect it with conductible thread to other components : leds, accelerometer, light or temperature detector, sound outputs… All this can help you make smart clothes and textiles. Not convinced? What if i told you you can wash your projects with soap and water? Still not convinced? Ok, then check out this crazy projects!

How cool i this? For those of you who are interested, i will be blogging about this every week end, documenting all the steps of my first projects : sketching, sewing, conceiving the electrical circuits and coding. Next week i’m revealing sketches for my first Lilypad sewing project. I’m very excited! Stay tuned!

There have been few updates lately on the blog. Not many photos or pattern reviews eihter. Of course, i have not been inactive all this time and you already know why if you’ve read my previous posts. I’ve put months of work on a very special project : an ebook that i wanted to write for a long time and which i’m very proud of, because i’ve put lots of efforts in the content but also because of the form itself.

I am very very happy to announce that my app-book “Bien débuter en couture” (Sewing for beginners) published by Citronours mediais now available for the iPad. You can download it just like any app in itunes.

Here is a little more info on content and form…

Content first. This book really is the book i dreamed of reading when i started sewing and had to learn everything. I tried to gather information on the web, read blogs, looked for tutorials everywhere i could. It was nice but it was a little hectic. I learned a lot but it was disorderly. i sometimes did not even know i was doing something wrong until i stumbled upon a blog post or tutorial video. I was often disappointed by the videos online : the quality was not what i was looking for (ie : concise, clear, pedagogic and why not pretty!)I lost so much time and ruined so many dresses ! It took years to finally stitch an invisible zipper correctly, to make a proper invisible hem…. Some patterns were great to incidentally learn new techniques but once again i was lacking the basics . At the same time i was reading books, but was frustrated because there were no videos. I was torn between the content of books and the multimedia potentials of the web !

So i wrote the book i wish i had had when i started sewing. You can see a demo video and the table of contents here. It’s in french but we might translate it to english someday.

About form now. This ebook reflects a technical experimentation in which i am involved through the start up citronours media. The book is organized in chapters, with text, nice illustrations, step-by-step photo tutorials and sketches. There are also a total of 25 mn videos (1 to 3 mn tutorials) to visualize techniques. Last but not least, you can pin some images to Pinterest from within the book. Isn’t it cool?

And guess what, my good friend Carole from the blog Dis bonjour à la dame also has an ebook available for download this month. It’s called Couture Géométrique (Sewing with geometry) and guides you through 10 projects (clothes and accessories for woman and girls). You can have a look at the table of contents and a demo video here.

I’ll finish this post with the business cards we received this week and which feature the first three Citronours ebooks. I love the idea of having different photos featured in the book on the verso of the cards. Isn’t it cool for an author to be able to give a beautiful minicard when talking to someone about his/ her book? Best of all, letting the person select the card he / she likes is a nice way to interact! The cards are from Moo, the clever printing service. Yeah! Can’t wait to meet you in person someday to talk about sewing, ebooks and hand you my card ;o)

I ‘ll be back and blogging soon so stay tuned. Until then have a lovely day!